Challenge Aging 5k Race Results, Online Slideshow & Story

Thanks to all who were an active, supportive part of Charities Challenge's 5^th Annual Challenge Aging 5k where we enjoyed “Celebrating Strength & Successful Aging” at Como Lake.

This was the last of CC’s perennial 7 Life Challenge 5k Events Series for 2011 where we “Take the RxExercise Challenge” together with families and friends to better meet life’s challenges, even challenges like advancing aging.

Race results & photos slideshow with music is available now via the Challenge Aging 5k page http://www.charitieschallenge.org/html/challenge_aging.html

Congratulations to so many winners, winners in so many ways, in many age group divisions!

Imagine! Of a field ranging in ages 23 to 86, nearly 20% of the field were athletes over age 60.

Because our pro-timer, Josh Gerber of www.WayzataResults.com offered "age-graded" race results in addition to traditional race results, we were able to recognize any racers, regardless of age, as "Real Bread Winners" because of their high "age graded" performances.

Check out those age-graded race results and

special stories, like a few of the following: Larry Cerling, M61, had the highest age graded score, a "National Level" performance.

Brenda Becker, F72, running her first-ever road race and on two Total Hips Replacement, had the 3rd highest age-graded score among all the women.

Brenda is now the fastest woman in Minnesota after 2xTHA!

And, between volunteering in support of everyone else before and after her own 5k walk, Mary Pat Flynn, F86, turned in a 5k time equal to her last four Challenge Aging 5ks. Mary Pat is not slowing down even at age 86!

Enjoy remembering some of the morning's special experiences as you view the online photos slideshow while hearing again 2011 Challenge Aging 5k theme songs. Notice in the slideshow “Miles of Smiles” because RxExercise does improve mental health especially in the face of life’s major challenges like superannuation (yes, it’s a real word and too often a real challenge.)

After you open the Challenge Aging 5k in the upper right corner of the Life Challenge 5ks gallery, be sure to turn up your sound as you click on “Slideshow” at the top of the page.

The online musical slideshow of 312 images can be completed in about 5 minutes if you want to enjoy all the photos. At the top of the slideshow page you may change the “Duration” of each slide to 1 second to go faster or 3 seconds to slow down the slideshow.

You’re also welcome to go to the slideshow “index” in order to find any personally special photos that you can copy to your Facebook page, thereby sharing your joy of RxExercise with others whom you may want to encourage toward happy RxExercise. Perhaps with your encouragement you may even bring family/friends with you to our big CC Holiday Run 5k events from this fall through to next spring http://charitieschallenge.org/html/holiday_events.html

Add Charities Challenge to your Facebook friends, too, and get more CC Events & RxExercise News via Charities Challenge at Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41310607820&ref=mf

Please send back any special e-note stories about how walking/running/volunteering at the Challenge Aging 5k may have especially brightened-lightened your day and/or someone you love.

Thanks again to all the CC Race Event Workers (CCREW) volunteers who helped deliver a happy Challenge Aging 5k:

Jeanne DeMartino, Meredith Soul, Ken Wendling, Kent Spellman, Kim Fealy, Mary Pat Flynn, Amy Kohout, and lots of fun-fit friends from Minnehaha Marathoners Run Club.

Thanks again to pro-announcer extraordinaire and special friend to Charities Challenge, Gaylen Morse, of Morsound http://www.morsound.net/ for all his kind and motivating shout-outs to all our participants!

And, Sponsor-Thanks to Tom & Sally of Great Harvest Bread Co. of Minneapolis http://www.greatharvestmn.com/minneapolis/minneapolis.html for their generous support to CC's "Real Bread Winners" as well as race rolls for post-race refueling.

All CC Events participants are welcome to join our happy CCREW for any of our 27 Annual CC Events. Just let me know. You’ll also earn a variety of CCREW Rewards, like complimentary race entries and more, for being so actively supportive of others’ RxExercise experiences. Go CCREW!

Please join us for the next CC Event…The 3^rd Annual Halloween Fearless 5k back at Como Lake on Saturday, Oct29 http://charitieschallenge.org/html/halloween_fearless_5k.html where together we’ll actively, happily “Celebrate Courage & Chase Away Fears".